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Coastal landmark under wraps for paint job

BBC A tower in a field is covered in pink scaffolding. There is a blue sky with clouds in the background.BBC
The Gribbin tower needs to be painted about every 10 years

One of Cornwall's best known coastal landmarks is getting a makeover and a new paint job.

The Gribbin Daymark, west of Fowey, has been wrapped in scaffolding for the project.

The 84ft (25.6m) red and white tower, which was built in 1832 to aid navigation, is maintained by the National Trust and has to be painted about every 10 years.

Once refurbishment work is complete, it is hoped visitors will once again be able to climb to the top and enjoy the view from the Grade II listed building.

History of the tower

The Gribbin looking up the red and white striped tower towards the sky
The Gribbin Daymark was built in 1832 by Trinity House as a navigation aid
  • The Gribbin was built in 1832 by Trinity House as a navigation aid to prevent mariners from mistaking the shallow waters of St Austell Bay for the deeper waters of Falmouth harbour
  • The entire headland was donated to the National Trust by St Austell Brewery in 1965
  • In 2015, the brewery brought out an English pale ale called The Gribbin, with 20p from every pint going to the National Trust
  • The area was a popular haunt of author Daphne du Maurier who lived at nearby Menabilly

The work is a complicated operation as there is no road access to the tower, meaning all the scaffolding and other equipment has to be transported across fields.

LISTEN: National Trust on why the Gribbin is covered in scaffolding

Bill Makin, general manager for the National Trust in mid and south-east Cornwall, said: "There's about 30 tonnes of scaffold, so it depended on quite a lot of help.

"Our ranger teams and our contractors did a lot of heavy lifting, a lot of navigating neighbouring farmers' fields, for which we're very grateful, but we got it up."

A picture of the scenery along the Cornish coast with fields, cliffs and the sea on a cloudy day
The walk to the Gribbin gives a clear view towards Polruan and the entrance to Fowey harbour

Mr Makin said the four faces of the square tower had to be scrubbed clean to remove salt before the painting could begin.

"Maintenance of these structures is really important - 'a stitch in time' really is the way to go," he said.

"If we can keep on top and keep them in good condition it saves us having to do more serious repairs."

The internal stairs of the tower are also being refurbished so visitors can climb to the top and enjoy the spectacular views, east towards Fowey and Polruan and west towards Charlestown and Mevagissey.

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